


crown of poppies

by drinkofwourder



Category: Bon Appétit Test Kitchen RPF, Chef RPF
Genre: Brad's A Witch, Claire's Half-Fae, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Friends to Lovers, Magic, Samhain, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-01-16 15:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21273122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drinkofwourder/pseuds/drinkofwourder
Summary: she needed to go Home.or how a half-fae, half-human put a witch into incredible danger, and how they fell for each other anyway.





	1. things untold

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, it's been awhile! But I'm back on my bullshit, this time with Claire being Fae as well as Brad being magic. I had to do a decent amount of research on Faeries for this one, which was quite fun! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Brad had been able to guess her lineage from the moment they met, the moment their hands touched. He hadn’t said anything but she knew that he could tell eyebrows raising, jovial tone trailing off.

A lot of humans weren’t quite able to place what she was, they were reasonably able to guess that she wasn’t quite full human if she wasn’t using glamor magic, but they had no clue what she was. Brad was able to guess instantly, cornering her in the walk-in on her second day.

She laughed if she thought about it now. For all of Brad’s height and bulk, he looked a little out of his element trying to intimidate her.

“Fae,” He started, the word sounding odd as it was cradled on his tongue, voice breaking as he reached into his pocket and brought out a gnarled tree branch, “you better not be here to bring harm to the humans who work here.”  
“Oh, Brad, relax. I’m here to work,” She had said, rolling his eyes, “look, if you catch me doing evil, you can banish me. Plus, you know that I can’t lie.”

That seemed to appease him, his wand hand falling to his side.

“That’s good to hear. But you know about your kind and food, I’m gonna be real pissed if I see any other Faeries sniffin’ around here, Saffitz.”  
“Relax,” She said again, leaning against the box of produce that she had been searching through, “I’m only half-Fae, the other Faeries don’t care what I do.”

And that was how she learned that Brad was a witch and that he had the Sight, and that he was willing to risk everything for her. That was an odd thought, and it was odd to that day, he didn’t trust the Fae but he trusted her from the start. Even after the whole Youtube thing started and then took off, they became closer and closer, perhaps because they were the only two magically inclined people in the kitchen, but she soon considered him a friend.

It was an odd sort of friendship, the one that started with a threat in the walk-in fridge, but there were no more threats to be had. He kept her lineage a secret from the rest of those without Sight, although there were no secrets when it came to Youtube. Still, it only remained a very pervasive rumor in the comments section of their video, people seeing through her glamor and commenting, other people calling bullshit, others saying that the Fae people were simple fairytale and nothing more.

There was another rumor that she didn’t want to comment on, the one that made her hands still and her cheeks blush scarlet when she looked at _him_. Truth be told, it made her second guess what she did around Brad, the people who saw the shared smiles and the not-so-hidden fondness behind their eyes. 

So she just tried not to think about it all, not when she couldn’t decide if the rumors were true. It was easy to stick it all on the back burner anyway, especially when they were always so busy. New York grew colder in a way that had her growing sick easily, the cast iron coming out in full force as they tested warming winter recipes.

Brad followed her outside one day as she tried to get any sort of fresh air, anything to stop the pains in her chest from the iron-rich stink in the kitchen air. There was too much iron in the city though, something her father had warned her about when she moved away from home and from _Home_ to pursue a real human career. She turned to Brad, accepting the tissue that he had clutched in his huge hand and dabbing the blood tinged saliva from her lips.

“I’m going to need to go Home soon,” She murmured, leaning back against a dirty brick wall, “just for a bit, just for Samhain.”  
“I could come with you, I-I,” He choked on his words, looking almost startled at the fact that he invited himself over, “I mean, if you wanted me to. I don’t have anything to do for Samhain anyway, and it’d probably beat going to some local Ball. Uh, y’know, since you’d be there.”

She could see the blush dusting his face and found herself charmed by it, found herself a little scared by the rush of emotion she felt for him.

“I wouldn’t say no but, uh. You know that I’m not talking about Cape Cod, right?”  
“I know, Claire,” He said, scooping up her hands in his giant palms, “and I still want to accompany you. Y’know, to keep you safe!”

She laughed at that, and tried to ignore the way that his eyes grew soft and fond at the sound.

“Technically, I’ll be keeping you safe.” She said, and he laughed too.

That was that, he wasn’t going to let her go alone. They logged the vacation time and Brad decided that it would be easier for them to drive out instead of flying. He owned a car anyway, parking it outside her apartment with a large iced coffee in the cup holder for her.

He had made an honest-to-god mixtape, which she was very charmed by. The cassette read “Brad and Claire’s Faerie Adventure” in his chicken scratch writing that she could somehow read with ease, and she popped it into the tape deck.

While she would’ve preferred the ease and quickness of flying, she could admit that the drive was _fun_ in a way that it wouldn’t have been with anyone else. Brad sang along to all of the songs on the mix, and he had brought all of her favorite snacks. They made good time too, she had complained about leaving early, but they managed to avoid a lot of the traffic leaving the city.

She had watched New York City disappear in the rearview mirror with a sense of relief. New York was her home now, she loved the city and everything that it represented, freedom from the court, being able to live her own life, but there was the striking need for the salt air and the wild, untamed forest that was buried in her brain. It was instinct to reject all modern life and live as a Fae, her Human side losing out every time.

It was something that she was always fighting against, the instinct to whisk Brad away to the Lands because he tried a bite of the cake she had made. He had given her his name as well, there would be nothing stopping her from bringing there and never letting him leave. But Brad made her feel Human more so than anything, the warring sides of her and the affection she felt for him making her mind one hell of a disaster.

Instead, she sipped on her iced coffee until the ice rattled around in the cup, laugh shaking as Brad made another joke.

They ended up crossing the bridge to the Cape in what felt like record time. She knew that Brad was lucky but maybe he had cast a luck spell before they had left, they managed to miss out on a lot of the traffic. She rolled her window down and took in the salt air, looking out on the canal beneath them and the changing of the trees.

She had been a lot of places in her life, but this was the place she was most connected to, her own personal touchstone to her Home. 

They ended up switching places in the parking lot of a gas station. After all, they couldn’t use GPS to get to where they were going. Rather, only Claire could know where the gate was, it wasn’t like she could really explain it. They’d get as close as they could in the car, park it somewhere unseen, and walk off into the woods.

As Brad put gas into the car, Claire leaned out the window and watched him do it. In moments like that, his brows furrowed with concentration, she could really admit that she liked him. That she had feelings for him, beyond what friends felt for each other. 

And a part of her really wished he had stayed home, back in the Test Kitchen, because he really was in danger in her world. There would be Fae there that would try to trick him into staying just because they felt like being cruel.

She was being more honest than he could even begin to comprehend when she had said that she would be the one protecting him. Claire couldn’t lie, that much was true, but she could just...not tell him things. If he asked, she’d have to tell him the truth, but he hadn’t asked, he had only assumed the best.

He didn’t know that she was bringing him to face the Unseelie Court. And Claire just hoped that she could keep him safe.


	2. truth be told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the truths she couldn't keep any longer.
> 
> or how brad finds out everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, my bad. November turned out to be a hell of a lot busier than I thought it would.
> 
> Shout out to the discord group for getting my ass into gear on this one, I'm glad to finally have it all out there!

They ditched the car in the parking lot that led to one of the state parks on the Cape, Claire leaned against a nearby tree as Brad cast a concealing spell on it. It would’ve been fine if it were just a few hours, but time moved strangely in the old Woods and it could’ve been days before they emerged.

“Plus, I don’t wanna have to go reason with some guy workin’ at an impound lot. My luck only goes so far with those guys, most of em don’t want to hear it.” He had said, whipping his wand out and going over the quick rituals for the spell.

He had strange rituals, tapping whatever object he was working on with the end of his wand three times and then rubbing the crystal he kept in his pocket in counter-clockwise circles with his thumb. Brad had told her that over drinks one day, when his cheeks were just beginning to pick up color. It had felt strangely intimate in ways that Claire still thought of, the way they were pressed together in that crowded New York City bar. Plus, some Witches kept their personal rituals to themselves, so it was a real sign that Brad trusted he, a _Fae_ with his ritual.

Maybe that was a sign that he didn’t know she was Unseelie. Her fellow Unseelie would often take important parts of a Witch’s rituals just because they could, just because a Witch had trusted them too much and trusting the Fae was a dangerous habit.

Brad seemed to relish in danger when it came to her. He broke all the rules that he was very much aware of without second thought. But thinking about _that_ was dangerous in its own right, overthinking every move he made with her. He was just a friendly Witch, that was all, all of the other members of the Test Kitchen staff probably knew everything about him.

Still, she knew that she had to tell him what she really was. Before he came face to face with the Winter Court, before he came face to face with the Winter King...

Before he came face to face with her _Father_.

“Brad,” She started, stopping him with a hand on his chest, “there’s...something I need to tell you. Before we go any farther.”  
“Well, shoot, Claire.” He said, the notes he had been humming getting caught in his throat.

She turned to face him, looking up into the bluest eyes she had ever seen, even on another Fae. It made her sigh, made her wish she had told him that he couldn’t come with her before he could leave her in the woods to face it all alone.

“You know that I can’t lie to you. But I can avoid truths and keep things to myself,” Claire said, wrapping her arms around herself and steadying her thoughts before she continued to speak, “I’m not who you think I am, I’m not a member of the Seelie Court or even an Independant Fae.”

He seemed to think on that for a second, looking away from her as he sighed softly.

“You’re…” He trailed off.  
“Unseelie.”

The word, her true allegiance, hung between them for two moments of horrible silence. The wind swept through the trees and she wrapped her arms tighter around herself as she watched Brad turn around. She was fully expecting him to storm off or to yell at her, especially as his shoulders began to shake.

And then she heard it. Brad was...Brad was _laughing_. Laughing at _her_, soft huffs turning into his trademark body shaking guffaws, echoing off the trees and filling the otherwise silent forest with _Brad_. Her cheeks turned scarlet and she huffed, whining his name.

“Holy shit, Claire, I’m so sorry.” He panted out after a moment, steadying himself against a tree with one big hand while the others wiped tears away from his face.  
“I’m being serious and you’re laughing at me!” Claire whined, turning away from him.  
“It’s just that...well, you’re not exactly the first Fae I’ve ever met. And you’re certainly not exactly a big ball o’ sunshine, Saffitz There’s a reason we call you Half-Sour, and it ain’t just pickles.”

His hand gently touched her shoulder and she turned around, collapsing into his chest.

“I’m sorry for laughing at you, Claire.”  
“It’s okay.” She murmured, voice muffled into his body.  
“Plus, you have dark hair,” Brad said, carding a hand through her hair, “and dark eyes.”

He tilted her face up with a gentle, huge finger under her chin. Claire looked into his eyes for only a second, having to quickly look away. That _thing_ that had been building between them, she had no clue how to even start to deal with it. Standing in the woods, not far away from the gate to her World, and the only thing she could think of was Brad’s hands on her skin, hot enough to burn her despite the autumn chill.

She just couldn’t deal with it. Not when she was about to bring him into a world that no one could prepare for.

“Claire, I-” He started, thumb rubbing over her jawline, gentle enough to make her heart ache.  
“Brad,” She interrupted, hand sliding up to hold his for a moment before gently pushing them away from her flushed skin, “not right now. Please.”  
“I...okay, yeah. Not the right time.” Brad said, mostly under his breath.

She knew, of course she knew. And she also knew that she felt the same way, but they were close enough that she could hear the whispers of the Fae and their music on the air. Claire could only deal with one thing at a time, and she knew that Brad would wait for just a little longer.

After all, a part of her knew that he had been waiting for a long time. What was another day on top of it?

They trudged on a little further, Brad growing quieter as the woods closed in around them. The leaves started to rustle around them in the cold autumn wind, and she heard him gasp softly, felt him press in a little bit closer to her. He was warmer than anything around her, his body heat radiating.

Brad could’ve been a Seelie Fae in a past life, all bright sunshine and pleasant energy. But, instead, he was her open, honest, sweet Witch. A Witch who willingly volunteered to go to a Samhain Ball in front of the Unseelie Court just because he could tell that she needed someone in her corner, just because she didn’t want to go alone.

And alone she wasn’t. And alone they weren’t. Because the moment they crossed the threshold of the gate that no human could see, not even Brad with his Sight, they were thrust into the middle of the Ball.

The first thing she noticed was the feeling of her wings unfurling from her back. Like they were stuck on with glue, sprouting off her back right before Brad’s huge blue eyes as she gasped from the relief, the release. It had been so long since she had been able to stretch out like that, to take away the glamor that was pretty much forced onto her. 

Soft fingers ran along the surface of her wing and, if it were anyone else, she’d probably yell at them for it. But Brad touched her reverently, his fingers soft on the delicate skin of her wings, glassy and pure blue. They almost matched his eyes, and that was an odd thought, a thought that had her laughing and reluctantly twisting out of his hands to float up into the air. 

She couldn’t exactly fly, but her legs left the ground and, for all the problems that came with being Fae Folk, being able to be up in the air certainly wasn’t one of them.

Claire ended up drifting into his arms almost by accident, partly by desire. He hugged her back in a way that could only be described as awkward, he clearly wasn’t used to her wings as he nearly slapped them in his effort to hug her back, but she was so overjoyed to just _exist_ as herself that she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“You have wings.” He said, lamely, obviously, muffled into the side of her neck and she laughed again because she couldn’t help herself.

It was the first time in a long time that she was allowed to be truly herself, and she was glad that Brad was there. It felt right for him to see the true version of Claire Saffitz. He would be the only human that would understand, that would like her for who she was. And she couldn’t deny that it felt good to be in his arms, he was strong and warm and smelled like the woods in a way that was entirely different from the woods surrounding them.

His fingers brushed against the crown of poppies that surrounded her head, marking her as royalty in the court. They were all the Children of the Unseelie King, but he had deemed her special, a mark of his true love to a human. Forbidden usually, but he was above forbidden as the King.

But she wasn’t a King and she just hoped that he would go easy on her for bringing a human to his court.

They probably shouldn’t have hugged in the middle of the Unseelie Court though, the other Fae Folk not so kind, their murmurings finally hitting her ears in a way that had her reluctantly pulling herself out of his arms yet again. It was something she had been doing too often, something she found herself wanting to never have to do again.

But the cruel eyes of the Unseelie King were upon them and she knew exactly how it looked to be wrapped up in the arms of a human. A human she had brought into their domain, to the party celebrating their half of the year. Brad didn’t belong there and they all knew it, some of them unholstering their weapons to point right at him. He didn’t look phased though, tossing an easy arm over her to squeeze her shoulder, reassuring her without words that he was there for her.

“Daughter,” a voice spoke over the silence, filling her with dread, “you have returned...with a human at your side?”

Brad’s voice caught her ear as the Unseelie King continued to speak, drowning out the cold with his ever-present warmth.

“That guy’s your dad?”  
“Yes,” she murmured, “but he’s sort of everyone’s father in a way.”  
“Wow, he gets around.” Brad said without thinking, and she had to stifle a laugh.

She realized, belatedly, that the King had addressed her directly. She flattened her wings at her side and dropped to her knees, fanning her skirt over her legs. 

“Please, forgive me for my transgression, your majesty.” She said, her hand flying up and pulling at Brad until he kneeled as well.

The King almost looked amused by that, dropping some of the formality as his grey eyes searched over Brad’s face.

“It’s quite alright, my dear. It was to be expected when I allowed you out into the human world, my favorite daughter.”  
“I’m sorry, sir, but what do you mean?” 

The King laughed, and everyone laughed along with him. It was to be expected after all, when the King found mirth in something, everyone in the Kingdom did as well. 

“Well, dear. You’re half human. While that makes you full Fae in our eyes, there’s still that iron-rich blood in your veins,” He spoke, leaning back in his throne, “it makes it only natural that you’d fall for a human. Especially as I did before you.”

Claire’s cheeks flushed scarlet as she realized what the King was saying, looking over as a grating little smirk grew over Brad’s face as well. He slung an arm over Claire’s shoulders again, pulling her in and grinning broadly at the King of the Unseelie.

“Yes, my dear. I can see it on both of you, you’ve brought this human here so he may ask for your hand in marriage.”  
“Marriage?” She echoed.  
“Yes, of course. We do have eyes everywhere you know, even in your human cities.”

She almost wanted to say something, almost wanted to deny what the King had said. Because he was forcing her to confront things that she hadn’t had time to put a name to, pushing their relationship beyond what she had even thought of. She did want Brad, that much was true, and she could tell that he wanted her, but marriage was a hell of a lot more than just going on a single date.

“Of course,” the King spoke, dragging her out of her thoughts, “if he’s not here for your hand, than you must’ve brought him here for something more nefarious. You’re full Fae in our eyes, but you are part human, perhaps you’ve brought a Witch here to...take us out?”

The surrounding Fae drew their weapons and Brad held up his hand, an awkward, uncomfortable laugh falling from his lips.

“Uhh...nope, Sir. I’m absolutely here to ask for her hand, we...uhh...we were just tryin’ to gauge reception before askin’. Y’know, since I’m human an’ all!” Brad said, grabbing her hand and holding it tight, almost as if he were literally asking for her hand.

The King waved his hand and the weapons went away again, a lazy smile falling over his face.

“Wonderful, wonderful. I accept of course, my eyes have seen how well your treat our Claire. You’ve been a wonderful...ah...how do you humans say? ‘Boyfriend’?”   
“Uh yup, that’s it. I’m her boyfriend.” Brad said, cheeks flushed.  
“Not anymore you’re not, boy. Now you’re her betrothed, and it’s time to celebrate.”

The Unseelie King clapped his hands and the music started back up, cheerfully uncheerful, and the surrounding Fae went back to their party. Brad popped up off the ground, offering his hand and helping Claire to her feet. They were still holding hands as she felt a chill go through Brad, heard him gasp.

They both turned and faced the King, hand on Brad’s shoulder. Brad towered over him but that hardly mattered, not when face to face with the Unseelie King.

“One more thing, my dear boy,” the King said and it sounded mocking and cruel, “if you ever hurt my Daughter, I will take the bones from your body one by one and add them to my throne.”

Brad looked over the King’s shoulder and saw the human bones lacing the throne he had been sat upon, realized that it was entirely made of bone. He swallowed audibly, voice coming out higher pitched as he spoke.

“Ahh...uh, I wouldn’t dream about hurtin’ her, your majesty.”  
“Wonderful, wonderful. Now, please, enjoy the ball.”

And then the King was back on his throne, almost as if none of it had ever happened. Brad shivered next to her, and Claire laid a hand on his arm, smiling up at him softly.

“We can go now.” She said, voice quiet.  
“Don’t you...don’t you want to dance?” He said, watching the Fae dance in a way that was almost hypnotising, pupils dilated as he saw the scene before him.

Claire snapped her fingers in front of his face and, after a few moments, he looked down at her with glazed eyes.

“Let me rephrase this. We have to leave now or else you’ll be hypnotised and the forest won’t let you leave.”  
“Ahh. Uh, let’s go then.”  
“Don’t look back when we leave, you’ll see things that humans shouldn’t see.” She warned, grabbing him by the hand and leading him back the way they came.

Brad didn’t look back, eyes locked on her as they walked through the gate. Claire could feel the woods trying to interfere with their passage but Brad was Magic in his own way. The forest had no choice but to let them leave, the Fae and the Green Witch, side by side. 

Soon enough, they were in the calm of the woods, the Fae Gate disappearing behind them, moved elsewhere in their passage. The spell had been broken and Brad fell against a tree, sucking in an eager breath, looking down at his watch.

It had felt like hours in the land of the Fae but it had been mere minutes since they had left, and Brad huffed out a sigh.

“I don’t think I’ll be wanting to visit the in-laws too often.” He said, grinning at her.  
“Oh shut up. We don’t have to get married y’know.”

Then Brad was in her personal space, hand warm on her hip. A big finger tilted her chin up, that broad grin directed at her. Claire’s eyes fluttered shut, moving in for their first, long awaited kiss.

“How about we start with dinner?” Brad murmured, breath ghosting out over her lips.  
“Dinner sounds good.”

And then he was kissing her, softly like she was going to break or like _he_ was going to break, fingers pushing her hair out of her face and tucking the grey strands behind her ear. Brad pulled away and she tried to follow him, wanting more from him than just a simple kiss.

But they had waited for so long, what was just a bit more time in the grand scheme of things? He slid her hand into his huge one, leading her out of the woods and towards the car, talking about their dinner plans with that excited animation that had her obviously fall for him in the first place, obvious enough that the Unseelie King had called them out in an instant.

Maybe that was what she was waiting for. Permission from the cruel King of the Unseelie. But she knew in an instant that, even if he hadn’t approved, she would’ve thrown it all away for Brad Leone. Because he was more important than the silly rules of the Court that she hardly felt a connection to those days anyway. 

She had longed for a place to call home for so long that she hadn’t realized she had found it already. Maybe the Court had never been her home because, as much as the smog and iron of New York City had gotten to her, she never felt better than she did while she was at Brad’s side. 

As they drove away from the woods she had once called her home, she realized that the only thing she needed to call a place a home was Brad at her side. Everything else be damned, she could go anywhere with him and fit right in.

And that was the only thing that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I wanted to finish this all in one go, but it ended up expanding outwards to the point where it made sense to have two chapters. The second chapter should be coming soon!
> 
> I actually have a tumblr now, you can find me at [ drinkofwourder](https://drinkofwourder.tumblr.com/).


End file.
